Believe it or not, he's the good guy

New movie review today folks!

HELLBOY II: THE GOLDEN ARMY

It truly is marvelous what one can do with computers these days. From the Lord of the Rings, to Star Wars to Transformers, cinema has proven time and time again its wonderful ability to bring imagination to life. The latest movie to offer such wonders is Hellboy II: The Golden Army, a beautiful movie to behold.


The Golden Army tells the story of a centuries-old elven prince who wishes to overthrow humanity. To do this, he will need to utilize the mythical (and titular) Golden Army, but legend has it that the Golden Army should never awaken or all humanity is doomed. However, to achieve this, the prince, Nuada, needs to collect three pieces of a magical crown that grants its wearer the ability to command the army. He claims two, but one piece is held by his sister, Princess Nuala. As Nuada strives to reach his goal, the mighty demon Hellboy and friends step in his path to do what other superheroes do best: save the day!

There are many reasons that make me gladly recommend this excellent film, but if I were to state one only, it would be that the special effects and art direction. The special effects are simply spell-bounding. The computer generated characters are all realistically done and the fights are intensive and captivating. Yet special effects alone do not guarantee the beauty of a movie, as films such as Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within have proven. This is where the art direction comes in, and indeed the characters and fantasy creatures all seemed to have leaped from those expensive artbooks that one loves to browse through but can seldom buy. Director Guillermo del Toro and his design team have crafted exquisite looking creatures that amaze and horrify at the same time. Prince Nuada and his sister, for example, look nothing like typical Tolkien elves, but rather have pale tattooed faces that portray nobility and terror equally well. Another fascinating creature is the Angel of Death, whose oddly positioned eyes and inhuman teeth give it a slight resemblance to a particular monster in del Toro's Pan's Labyrinth. Creepy and forboding, this creature was a strange beauty. The scene of the Troll market itself offers so many treats for the eyes, it would be worth buying a visual guide book to examine each monster or critter individually. Indeed, this movie's creatures are hallmarks of imagination, able to stand out in amongst a sea of other creatures offered by lesser movies.

Then there are the splendid action scenes as well. Beautifully choreographed fight scenes adorn the movie, with enough impact and momentum to keep one glued to the seats. Prince Nuada in particular somersaults and duels like a shaolin monk on steroids, slashing and killing anyone that steps in his path. The acting isn’t half-bad as well, and Ron Perlman still does an excellent job as wisecracking Hellboy. All the actors and actresses portray their respective parts well enough.

However not all is perfect, at least in my opinion. If there was a complaint about the movie, I would say that the characters and plot lines aren’t fleshed out as well as they should be. All of the characters have immense potential but they sometimes fall flat because they aren’t given enough time to develop. Take for example, Prince Nuada (again), who could potentially be a lethal murderer and noble assassin, but actually comes across as just another simple, common bad guy. The movie also explores some themes such as discrimination (against Hellboy and his peers for their freakish powers and appearances) much like the X-men series does, but it only touches the surface, without fully delving into the issues. The idea pops up but just stays there, floating on emptiness without any evolution. Besides that, some side stories such as a love story between two central characters are left hanging, lacking enough emotion or feeling.

Still, this is little to no way detracts from the movie, which at its core is still excellent and breathtaking. It is an truly an epic movie, beautiful and marvelous to watch and I cannot recommend it enough. With news that director Guillermo del Toro will be directing the upcoming Hobbit films, I say that fantasy films are far from dead.




Pictures are Copyrighted by Universal Pictures.